Chapter 6 - Errands

Eira sighed, spreading her limbs as she looked into the bright blue sky. She went out to lay down in the back of the house, underneath the big oak tree. The only problem was despite the potential scenery, the grass was still charred.

It was crunchy beneath her rough woolen clothes, overall not a comfortable feeling. Usually she would think about bringing a blanket to lay on top of, but the first time she did, Soka nearly fainted of shock.

It's disrespectful. Or so she would say, Eira never knew why it was so weird to put down a blanket and lay on top of it. After all, in her past life there were picnic blankets.

"Eira! Can you come inside for a second?" Soka called from the window. Reluctantly, she got up from her star position and headed back to the cabin she grew up in.

Before going inside, Eira took one look back at the scenery. The backyard was much more beautiful on a full moon, when it was pitch black and the moonlight and her mother's magic were the only light source.

Though a flash of blue blurred in her vision behind the oak tree. It was a gorgeous shade of navy blue, the color you'd find in silk dresses or the reflection of a starry night on a blue moon. Eira rubbed her eyes, hoping they'd clear but unfortunately it looked the same as it usually did. No blue, especially not that one.

As the door slammed shut behind her, Soka was sitting down at the table. An open wooden box covered in dust sat on Soka's lap. Eira hesitantly sat down in the chair next to her and smiled, "What did you need me for?"

"I need you to run an errand for me real quick." She opened the wooden box, pulling out a bag.

It was a leather bag, or rather a small pouch with no definite shape. Instead, the clasp was a red ribbon tied around the top, which looped through buckles within the leather. Soka placed the bag in Eira's hand, for some reason the bag was warm. She remembered her mother pulling out one when she was younger but it didn't look like this.

"It's a magical bag, one that can store a large amount of items regardless of size or quantity. However, there are limits such as how much mana you can supply it." Eira listened in excitement.

Although she's lived her early years with the bare minimum of magic, she was looking forward to the approaching date of the observation. More specifically, finding out what element she could manipulate. This bag was her first step towards the fantasy world her teenage soccer self could only dream of.

"I've supplied it with enough mana for you to get a few groceries and take out the fons. Please don't get too carried away, there's a list of what we need." Soka raised an eyebrow, suspicious of the mischievous glint in Eira's eyes.

"I'll be fine! You can trust me." Eira gleamed.

After grabbing a hood, Eira put it on and headed off. Opening the door, she passed the dead grass and walked till the brown turned green. By then, she knew she was in town.

Around her, the wooden huts shes come to be familiar with circled the horizon. Each step she took had a satisfying crunch and crackle, as the gravel kicked beneath her feet.

Walking towards the market, she once again saw a glimpse of the navy blue she saw at the oak. However this time, it was in the alleyway. A hooded figure, much like herself stood with another vendor.

The vendor was slightly different compared from those who were out in the street, the one in the alleyway had an ominous glow and a globe the size of a mannequin head surrounded the shelves.

As curious as Eira was, she knew like in every horror movie she used to watch, going there would start something she didn't want to be involved in. She had one mission, though she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't interested.

Approaching one of the normal vendors, an elderly woman at the stall greeted her with a smile, "Are you Soka's child? You look just like her!" She greeted.

Eira lowered her hood and returned a soft smile to be friendly, "Yeah, she said to give you a list?" She opened the bag, and it was a strange sensation.

It was like dipping a fistful into a bunch of slime, yet despite being a small pouch, she could open her hand and even swirl it around. Though as if the bag handed it to her, she started to feel the parchment and pulled it out.

"Thank you darling." The elderly woman reached out and grabbed the list. After a few moments of waving, the items from the list began to fade into the parchment. Each time an item would seemingly fall into the paper, the writing would glow blue.

Finally, the elderly woman paused. She took a moment to read the last word and tapped her chin, "I'm sorry, but I don't have this item. A young man before you bought my last one." She turned the paper towards Eira and pointed to the last word that wasn't illuminated.

Eira sighed, "Uhm, do you know where I can get it?" She asked and the vendor pointed towards the same alleyway that she told herself not to go towards.

' 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦? ' Eira thought. Her eyebrows scrunched in suspicion and looked back towards the elderly woman. As if she could read Eira's mind, or her expression was just that readable, she chuckled.

"It's not scary, the family who runs that just enjoys dark places. Because of that, most people don't visit them but at the end of the day, they're more likely to have that. Especially since that's their specialty. " The elderly woman explained.

Eira's lips pressed to a line. She was VERY reluctant to heading towards that alleyway. She didn't want to be involved in whatever it had to offer, but she didn't want to come home without that last item.

After paying the elderly woman for the other goods, she reluctantly walked towards the alleyway where that one vendor was. The hooded figure was still there, and she wasn't sure how to approach.

They were speaking in a language she wasn't familiar with, and that's saying something since she grew up with the normal tongue and still remembers her past language.

"Hello? Sorry, one of the ladies pointed me in your direction for some glass bottles?" Eira asked, catching the attention of both the hooded figure and the vendor.

The vendor was a dark skinned tall man who was built like a body builder. Just like the elderly lady said, he had dark brown hair and black eyes. He had a scar on his neck, extending to his left arm. The shirt he was wearing was sleeveless so she could see how the curve from his neck to his arm.

The hooded figure was actually a young boy, probably her age. He had navy blue hair and eyes, which is probably what she's been seeing in the corner of her eyes. He gave her a friendly smile and she felt her heart thump.

His face was chiseled to perfection, and that was truly an understatement. His eyes were such a deep blue, yet at the same time had a flare of red. Eira must have been gawking because he covered his face with his hand, "I know I'm handsome, but I'll start charging you for the show." His voice echoed in her ear.

Blood rushed to Eira's face and she felt a radiating heat on her cheeks. She coughed her embarrassment away, "Sorry." and diverted her attention back onto the vendor, putting the list between two globes.

"Oh, you mean Gladottle." The vendor laughed, he told Eira to give him a second and went into the back. He pushed aside the curtains behind him and walked into more darkness, but Eira assumed the stall was connected to their home.

She had no idea what gladottle was, but she was going to figure it out. In the meantime, she stood with the cute boy with mysterious blue features. They exchanged glances for a few minutes, but his chuckle disrupted the awkward silence.

"I should be heading out, also let Ram know that I got what I needed. Have him just put it on my tab." He smiled.

After a wave, he pulled the hood on once more and headed towards the light.

A few more minutes passed and the vendor came back out holding a black flask, the cork was sealed from what seemed to be wax as if it was melted on top and then carved to look like a brand symbol.

"So here's your last item. It should be 15 fons." The guy spoke. Eira's eyes widened, thats more than double the price of this entire list!

"Wait are you serious? That's expensive!" Eira gasped.

The vendor sighed, "Do you not know what Gladottle is? It's a multipurpose liquid usually used for treating wounds and fertilizer. Look, here's an appraisal pen." He pulled out a piece of chalk and scribbled over one of the globes. He then took the dust and blew it towards the flask, and the price popped up above the cork.

"Hm." Eira sighed, taking out the fons from the pouch and handing it to him. He then began packaging it, and slipped it onto the parchment, finalizing the last word.

Eira shoved the parchment back into the bag and like before, felt the slimy texture of the magical bag. Magic is weird.

Before leaving Eira turned towards him, "Also the cute kid said he got what he needed and to put it on his tab?" The guy froze. After a moment, he took a deep breath.

"About that.. he was asking for information about you."